UPDATE Newsletter of the European Athletic Association 3|06 October Göteborg 2006 is the benchmark Message from EAA President Hansjörg Wirz The 19th edition of Within the stadium, Europe’s top athletes did not the European Athletics disappoint, with hard fought competition and Championships in some surprise winners. 270,000 enthusiastic Gothenburg was a spectators saw 47 European champions crowned. great success, both Millions more watched on television and there within the stadium and was live streaming on the EAA website for the outside, in the streets, fi rst time. 2 GÖTEBORG 2006 squares and parks of Review of the 19th European the city. Events such as Göteborg 2006 can help to inspire Athletics Championships young people to become involved in athletics I would like to say ‘tack så mycket’, or thank you which is extremely important for the future of 5 WORLD JUNIORS very much, to the Swedish Athletic Association, our sport. The partnership agreement with the European performances in Beijing the City of Göteborg and the Local Organising United Nations Educational, Scientifi c and Cultural Committee for their excellent cooperation with Organisation (UNESCO) that we announced in the EAA in staging such a magnifi cent event. Gothenburg will assist us in our efforts to bring the 6 IAAF WORLD CUP benefi ts of athletics to children and young people. Team Europe in Athens When they submitted their bid to host the championships, they promised it would be ‘more At the EAA we recognise that society is changing than a sporting event’, and it certainly was. There and that staging a sporting event in isolation is no 8 PREVIEW was a fantastic level of interaction between the longer enough to inspire people and attract them A look ahead to future EAA events championships and the host city. to our sport. Our events must not stop at the gates of the stadium, but should integrate and The spectacular opening ceremony on touch the public in an emotional way. We are 9 INSIDE Götaplatsen on the evening of 6 August, which pleased that our efforts in this area led to such as An update on ’European Athletics – was attended by around 50,000 people, was successful event in Gothenburg and we want to the need for change’ something special and one of the great moments continue in this way. of the week. The integration of the city continued for the next seven days with concerts and other Göteborg 2006 is now a benchmark and we plan 10 FACTS activities offered as part of the Championships to build on its success in staging future events. News from the EAA City Festival. [email protected] 12 FINISH Interview with the Turava sisters from Belarus European Athletic Association Avenue Louis-Ruchonnet 18 1003 Lausanne Switzerland Phone +41 (21) 313 43 50 Fax +41 (21) 313 43 51 Email offi [email protected] Web www.european-athletics.org UPDATE 3|06 Newsletter of the EAA www.european-athletics.org 1 GÖTEBORG 2006 Gothenburg rocked! The 19th European Athletics Championships in Gothenburg on 6-13 August was ‘more than a sporting event’. “Sweden rocks!” No, not a reference to Facts & Figures a new Scandinavian heavy metal outfi t, nor a description of the tumultuous 1288 athletes from 48 countries 270,000 spectators over the seven days celebrations that kicked off in the Ullevi participated in the championships - both of competition stadium following the victories of Carolina record fi gures Klüft, Susanna Kallur and Christian Olsson, Over 1 million visits to the EAA and event but a text message from a TV viewer 31 nations won medals, more than ever websites during the championships watching the opening ceremony of the before 19th European Athletics Championships At least 1300 hours of television back in the UK. 11 championship records, 35 national coverage watched by 890 million records and 1 European U23 record viewers in 58 markets* And Sweden did “rock”, or, to be more broken * interim fi gures which will increase accurate, Gothenburg “rocked”. For if anyone was the real winner of Göteborg HRH Crown Princess 2006, it wasn’t an athlete, or a nation, it Victoria declares the championships was the city itself. offi cially open The day before the championships began Claes Bjerkne, CEO of Göteborg & Co, had promised “the biggest sporting and entertainment experience in Sweden for a decade”. “We cannot let the championships stop at the gates of the stadium,” confi rmed EAA President Hansjörg Wirz. And they didn’t. Every day thousands of people fl ooded into the city’s streets, 2 www.european-athletics.org Newsletter of the EAA 3|06 UPDATE GÖTEBORG 2006 European Champions 2006 Men Women Francis OBIKWELU (POR) 100m Kim GEVAERT (BEL) Francis OBIKWELU (POR) 200m Kim GEVAERT (BEL) Marc RAQUIL (FRA) 400m Vanya STAMBOLOVA (BUL) Bram SOM (NED) 800m Olga KOTLYAROVA (RUS) Mehdi BAALA (FRA) 1500m Tatyana TOMASHOVA (RUS) Jesús ESPAÑA (ESP) 5000m Marta DOMÍNGUEZ (ESP) Jan FITSCHEN (GER) 10000m Inga ABITOVA (RUS) Jukka KESKISALO (FIN) 3000m Alesia TURAVA (BLR) Steeplechase Stanislav OLIJAR (LAT) 110m/100m Susanna KALLUR (SWE) Hurdles Periklís IAKOVÁKIS (GRE) 400m Hurdles Yevgeniya ISAKOVA (RUS) Stefano BALDINI (ITA) Marathon Ulrike MAISCH (GER) Andrey SILNOV (RUS) High Jump Tia HELLEBAUT (BEL) Alex AVERBUKH (ISR) Pole Vault Yelena ISINBAYEVA (RUS) Andrew HOWE (ITA) Long Jump Lyudmila KOLCHANOVA (RUS) Christian OLSSON (SWE) Triple Jump Tatyana LEBEDEVA (RUS) Ralf BARTELS (GER) Shot Put Natallia KHORONEKO (BLR) Virgilijus ALEKNA (LTU) Discus Darya PISHCHALNIKOVA (RUS) Ivan TIKHON (BLR) Hammer Tatyana LYSENKO (RUS) Andreas THORKILDSEN (NOR) Javelin Steffi NERIUS (GER) Roman ŠEBRLE (CZE) Decathlon/ Carolina KLÜFT (SWE) Heptathlon Francisco Javier FERNÁNDEZ (ESP) 20km Walk Ryta TURAVA (BLR) Yohan DINIZ (FRA) 50km Walk Great Britain & Northern Ireland 4x100m Russia (Yuliya GUSHCHINA, (Dwain CHAMBERS, Natalya RUSAKOVA, Darren CAMPBELL, Marlon Irina KHABAROVA, DEVONISH, Mark LEWIS-FRANCIS) Yekaterina GRIGORYEVA) France (Leslie DJHONE, 4x400m Russia (Svetlana POSPELOVA, Idrissa M’BARKE, Naman KEÏTA, Natalya IVANOVA, Marc RAQUIL) Olga ZAYTSEVA, Tatyana VESHKUROVA) Italy (Ottavio ANDRIANI, European Italy (Rosaria CONSOLE, Stefano BALDINI, Danilo GOFFI, Marathon Cup Bruna GENOVESE, Anna INCERTI, Susanna Kallur (SWE) wins th Francesco INGARGIOLA, Marcella MANCINI, e women’s 100m hu rdles Giacomo LEONE, Deborah TONIOLO, Ruggero PERTILE) Giovanna VOLPATO) bars, parks and squares to sample the ‘EM the defeats of high jump favourites experience’, fi lling the city with a festival Stefan Holm and Kajsa Bergqvist. Both fever. lost to brilliant performances from unheralded athletes, as Andrey Silnov of In the Ullevi stadium itself, even the bad Russia and Tia Hellebaut of Belgium leapt weather couldn’t dampen the atmosphere higher than they had ever done before, as some 30,000 people turned up for and higher than anyone had done at a evening sessions, the vast majority wearing European Athletics Championships. or waving the famous yellow and blue of the host nation. Six of the championship records fell to Russian athletes, one of whom, Yelena They weren’t disappointed. Klüft, Isinbayeva, completed a ‘grand slam’ Kallur and Olsson delivered world class of major titles by adding the European performances to bring Sweden three gold to her World and Olympic pole vault medals, as many as it won in Munich four crowns. Lithuania’s discus thrower years ago and three more than in 1995 Virgilijus Alekna also completed a full when Gothenburg played host to the set, while Klüft’s victory was the fi rst in World Championships. Along with Johan her second cycle of senior championship Wissman’s 200m silver and two high jump victories. bronze medals, the golden trio contributed to the host nation’s biggest medal haul at Other European champions who retained a European Athletics Championships since their titles in Gothenburg included Mehdi 1946. Baala of France in the 1500m, Israel’s Alex Averbukh in the pole vault, Olsson What’s more, Klüft’s victory came with a in the triple jump, Czech Roman Sebrle uble (POR) secures the sprint do championship record, one of 11 to fall in the decathlon and Spaniards Francisco Francis Obikwelu throughout the week. Two of these led to Fernandez in the 20km walk and Marta the Swedish fans’ only disappointments, Dominguez in the 5000m. UPDATE 3|06 Newsletter of the EAA www.european-athletics.org 3 GÖTEBORG 2006 of the men’s 10000m Jan Fitschen (GER), the surprise winner Belgium’s gold me dallists, Tia Hellebaut and Ki m Gevaert Strictly speaking Francis Obikwelu also such as Isinbayeva, Tatyana Lebedeva retained his title when he won the men’s (triple jump), Tatyana Lysenko (hammer) EAA and UNESCO support 100m, although the Portuguese sprinter and Tatyana Tomashova (1500m), Russia European Youth Forum won’t see it like that. Of more importance enjoyed some unexpected winners such to him is that he lived up to his promise as Silnov, Inga Abitova (10000m) and 107 young leaders in athletics, representing 38 EAA Member of winning the European sprint double, Darya Pishchalnikova (discus). Federations, took part in the European Youth Forum staged the fi rst man to do so since Italy’s Pietro in conjunction with the European Athletics Championships in Mennea in 1978. Germany’s second place in the medal Gothenburg on 5-10 August. table was a greater surprise as they arrived Obikwelu’s dominance of the men’s in Gothenburg with their hopes resting on The forum included a range of seminars, workshops, social sprints was one of the features of the Kirsten Bolm’s ability to challenge Kallur activities and, of course, the chance to watch the competition week, while Kim Gevaert’s matching in the 100m hurdles and their veteran at the Ullevi stadium. achievement in winning the women’s discus throwers Franka Dietzsch and Lars 100m and 200m was just as impressive.